New Recipe Ideas and a High 5 for Me!

So, if you've never heard of the 17 Day Diet, check it out here. I read the entire book back in April/May and decided to give it a shot. My faithful companion (my hubby) decided to give it a shot with me. It went well, we followed the diet, lost weight, went on a cruise..... and..... RIP diet. It was tough getting back on the horse entirely, but we're at it again.

The first 17 days is the toughest... no starchy carbs, period! A sample daily menu is as follows:
Breakfast: 1/2 Cup Eggbeaters with spinach, mushrooms, onions and 1 Tb. Frank's Red Hot (no cals, no sugar, no carbs)
Snack: Fruit (for example.. red grapes, small orange,  or mixed berries)
Lunch: Salad - LOTS of colorful greens and veggies (peppers, tomatoes, celery), a hardboiled egg or turkey/chicken breast strips or can of tuna, topped with 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 Tb. Balsamic Vinegar or Red Wine Vinegar
Snack:  1/2 Cup low-fat  cottage cheese mixed with 1/2 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
Dinner: Grilled or baked fish or chicken (salmon, tilapia, catfish) and veggies (steamed anything, mashed cauliflower) or a small salad

If I'm craving something sweet I'll have a 60 calorie, sugar-free pudding cup... sugar-free is the important thing (over fat-free).

Anyway! While I've discovered some creative, yummy ways to eat carb-free I still crave not only eating, but cooking other yummy things.

This is my list of things I want to make.... eventually....:

• Moroccan Chicken with Couscous
• Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus
• Buttermilk and Blueberry Pancakes
• Chicken Cordon Bleu
• Cheddar Spirals
• Beer Margaritas

The Moroccan Chicken, Cilantro-Jalapeno Hummus, and Buttermilk & Blueberry Pancakes are not all that sinful, they just look delcious and I CRAVE pancakes. The Cordon Bleu and Cheddar Sprials, however, are just plain naughty...

In workout news.... I participated in an event on base this morning at 0645 called the Splash and Dash! It was a 400 yard swim followed by a 3 mile run. Most everyone else participating were doing it in pairs (1 person runs, the other swims), but oh no.... I decide to do it myself. I'm glad I did! When I came around the corner to cross the finish line of my run I couldn't believe the time - - 33:01. I started my personal watch when I started the run... when I finished it was at 23:58. 3 miles in 23:58??! New personal record... yippee!

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

Serve with Tomato Lime Meatballs!

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, peeled (use a potato peeler)
4 egg whites
Fat-free Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder, to taste
1 cup of low-carb marinara sauce

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut eggplant into ¼ inch slices.

3. In a shallow dish, beat egg whites and 4 tablespoons of water until foamy. Dip eggplant slices into egg whites, then into fat-free Parmesan cheese, pressing cheese into eggplant.

4. Place eggplant on prepared baking sheet that has been sprayed with vegetable spray and sprinkle with garlic powder.

5. Spray vegetable cooking spray over eggplant slices.

6. Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees, turning eggplant over after 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

7. Cover with 1 cup of low-carb marinara sauce and bake for 20 minutes, or until eggplant is piping hot and sauce is bubbly.

Tomato Lime Meatballs

Easy... delicious... healthy...

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey breast

2 small onions, chopped

1/4 cup old fashioned oatmeal (as a healthy substitute for bread crumbs)

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

6 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 tsp. turmeric (can substitute ground mustard if you don't have turmeric)
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 jar low carb/low sugar marinara or spaghetti sauce (I use Classico's Red Pepper sauce for a kick)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine ground beef, 1/2 of the onion, oatmeal, parsley, cilantro, egg, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and, if desired, salt and pepper. Shape into 1-inch balls or use an ice cream scoop for easier, more uniform meatballs.
3. Arrange meatballs on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile heat olive oil in 4-quart saucepot over medium heat and cook remaining onion, stirring occasionally, until tender. Stir in garlic, ginger and turmeric and cook 1 minute. Stir in lime juice and sauce.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
6. When meatballs are finished baking, stir them into the sauce and cook an additional 10 minutes or until meatballs are done.

I imagine this would be sinful served with pasta... but it's hearty enough to eat by itself or with a simple, healthy Eggplant Parmesan.

Stack the Deck

My husband and I have done this workout on a few different occasions.... once or twice when we've wanted to switch things up a bit, and several times when we've been traveling and unable (or unwilling) to pay $12/day to hit a gym. You'll be AMAZED at not only the intensity of the workout, but how quickly the time goes by.

STACK THE DECK
Use a deck of cards to determine not only the move, but also the number reps to do. Decide and write down on a sheet of paper what each suit will represent. Pull a card and do the number of reps indicated for the suit of the card. Face cards are worth 10 and aces are worth 11. Draw a new card for each move.
For example:

Hearts - Push Ups
Spades - Squat Jacks (jumping jacks but you're jumping into a squat when you're in the 'X' position)
Clubs - 8 Count Bodybuilders (Google it..)
Diamonds - Jump Lunges
Jokers - 1 Minute Planks

You can modify this workout depending on the amount of space you have. It can be done in a hotel room, living room, or if you're able to get outside you have even more options (i.e. park bench could do bench/tricep dips, sprint across the tennis court, etc.)

So NO EXCUSES! Get out there and get mooooooo-ving :) All you need is a deck of cards!